The article describes a luxurious dining experience at Victor Churchill Steakhouse in Melbourne, Australia, where patrons can indulge in high-end cuts of beef prepared by renowned chefs like Monty Koludrovic. The establishment offers both traditional and innovative culinary experiences, including scallops Rockefeller for $39 and premium steaks ranging from $105 to $110. The author emphasizes the meticulous service and expert knowledge provided by staff, making it a destination for those willing to splurge on an opulent dining experience.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 16836 · logged 2026-09-17
Discipline, it’s said, is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
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it → say → goals
The goal today was to purchase a steak and keep it safe till the Sunday barbecue.
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goal → purchase → barbecue
Instead, I’ve sat down at a marble bar to drink Krug and watch a shit-hot chef perform the Maillard miracle on my sirloin.
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chef → sit → sirloin
Worse still, I haven’t even made it out of the butcher’s.
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I → make → butcher
This year, its original store celebrates its 150th anniversary in Sydney’s east.
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store → celebrate → east
Anthony Bourdain called it the most beautiful butcher shop in the world.
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Bourdain → call → world
I can only imagine how he would have enjoyed the Melbourne sequel, a heritage-listed former bank fitted with a 14-seat horseshoe bar and an open kitchen.
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he → imagine → bar
Brass accents, Himalayan salt bricks, Italian marble floors – Victor Churchill Melbourne could have lived a happy life as a luxury boutique on Collins Street.
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Melbourne → live → Street
Instead, it’s a prestige butcher and date-night destination for the High Street set, who are seasoning their Visas for a flame-grilling of their own.
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who → ’ → own
Chef Monty Koludrovic joined the team earlier in the year, after a six-year stint in Los Angeles with the Australian-owned Botanical Hospitality Group.
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Koludrovic → join → Group
A huge get for owner-butchers Victor and Anthony Puharich, he’ll parachute into Victor Churchill’s new venture, a third-level steakhouse at Crown Melbourne, in 2027.
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he → parachute → 2027
Until then, he’ll be here, marshalling nine-plus cuts of aspirational beef alongside chef Lucas del Peloso.
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he → marshal → Peloso
The best steakhouses don’t baulk at the trends of yore, so if you’re fond of a little ’80s power-cooking, a plate of scallops Rockefeller is the only place to begin.
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plate → baulk → scallops
At three for $39, they help contextualise the three-figure reality of the steaks to come, baking the bygone decadence of chopped spinach, parmigiano and pangrattato over scallops of textbook cuisson.
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they → help → cuisson
Tuna carpaccio is punched thin enough to cover the plate but thick enough to give your jaw something to do before showtime.
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carpaccio → punch → showtime
Plated simply with olives and chives and balanced with yuzu, it’s easy, familiar elegance in red.
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it → plat → red
You could spend the whole evening chatting cuts and fat content with the staff – they’re properly knowledgeable and eminently patient.
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they → spend → staff
The same can be said for sommelier Samuel Baxter, who makes light work of a confronting list.
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who → say → list
Ultimately, your biggest decisions come down to producer, marbling and cut.
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decisions → come → producer
The crust on the sirloin is stout and perfectly seasoned, the flesh mellow and yielding.
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flesh → season → sirloin
Sliced thick from a muscle that does very little, its fat content rivals the enormous bowl of Paris mash served alongside.
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content → slice → mash
Nobody makes it out of this shop with both steak and wallet intact.
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steak → make → shop
But when it’s this well-executed, what are you meant to do?
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you → ’ → ?
Shopping at Victor Churchill is one of the great retail experiences of Melbourne, but dining in is a singular thrill.
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dining → shop → Melbourne
Drinks: Blowout bottles and bedrock cocktails mixed with equal parts care and flair
Cost: About $340 for two, excluding drinks
This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine.
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review → mix → magazine
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently.
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reviews → book → ?
A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
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restaurant → pay → Guide
The Aporia
